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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

#updated 4-19-2004
#Suse now has working instructions for the current driver 3.7.6 go to their website here
#follow the readme and you should be set.
#This works if you simply want to update your current version of the driver as well.
#You can still refer to my tutorial if you wish to use the older drivers (before 3.7) but I recommend
#the newer ones. You guys have all been great to work with. I hope that the XT issues have been
#resolved!!

This should solve your 3D accel problems with SuSE 9.0/8.* and Radeon 9700/9800 and possibly more.

1. You must have the kernel-sources package installed on your system. This should come on your CD's if you have the Pro version, or you can get it from one of SuSE's ftp server.

You can check to see if you do by running

rpm -qa | grep kernel

This should output something like : kernel-sources-2.4.*** depending on your kernel.
If you have this package installed you need to download the fglrx.rpm and km_fglrx.rpm from SuSE's ftp server here:Needed RPMS

read SuSE's README, but follow my directions, note that SuSE explicity states that:
-3D accleration is not selectable in sax2 using this method
-only 24-bit color depth is supported

2. Install these rpms and follow MY instructions, for SuSE has missed a small point

Go to a console, i.e. get out of xserver (better yet boot into init 3 if you know how to do this) by typing ctrl+alt+F1
This will bring you to a console login. Login as root. Now run
init 3
This will bring you to the needed runlevel.

Now cd to where the fglrx.rpm and km_fglrx.rpm are.

run these commmands in this order:
rpm -Uhv fglrx.rpm
rpm -Uhv km_fglrx.rpm

in sax2 just accept the settings, in my experience sax sux and you can edit it later. (If you are comfortable using sax, go ahead and adjust mouse, monitor etc, but leave videocard info alone!!!)

now use an editor to add
Load "dri"
to /etc/X11/XF86Config
(optional: add Load "GLcore")

under the section "Modules"

Now a lot of you have seen these previous steps before, but not in this order. You have to add the kernel module (km_fglrx) to the system before the kernel configuration (make cloneconfig make dep). This resolves the drm module error that I have seen all over the place.

ITS NOT OVER YET!

4. Go into X and type

lsmod

you should see that fglrx is running and is used by 0 if it is NOT working and some number if it IS working. Also check to see if agpgart is running. If these are both running and have processes that are using them, you may be lucky and have it working already, if not read on)

5. You need to use external agpgart module for this to work. If you compiled your kernel and have done it correctly, you can use the internal agpgart module. I will focus on the external method as it is the easiest to implement.
enter the following into a command line:

cd /etc/X11
fglrxconfig

Read the directions carefully and select your choices based on your system. If in doubt, just hit enter to select the default.
The important one to look out for is:

Do you want to use external AGPGart module? [y/n] [n]
This is defaulted to n, and you need to choose y.

6. Now

cd /etc/init.d

now edit the boot.local file by adding the following line:

/sbin/insmod agpgart

7. REBOOT! I know, I know, this is linux, but I think this is necesarry for this process. (Please correct me if I am wrong and you know a way to simply restart the Xserver)

When the system reloads it will load the agpgart module right away, and this needs to be loaded before the fglrx module. Now you can run glxgears and see that you have 2000-4000 fps if it is working. If you get 300 or so, something is wrong. Also you can type fglrxinfo and it should read something like this:

I found that you know it is working if in lsmod you see that fglrx and agpgart both have processes running.
This can be a frustrating process, and very testing, but trust me it works. If you find that you did not get it to work, I recommend undoing everything that you have done and starting over. A fresh install works best, and cleans up garbage that you have left behind.

Restart the X-server from runlevel 3. Type this in at the prompt " telinit 5" . BTW to drop down to runlevel 3 from X ctl-alt-F1 (or just open an xterm) and type in "telinit 3" . To restart X while it is running,
(This is handy if X freezes up) ctl-alt-backspace. To start the system in runlevel three at boot time. Interupt the bootloader as soon as it shows up by tapping a key. and type in "linux 3"

I tried several hundered (not exactly but close) methods to activate 3D acceleration for my Radeon 9800XT. Your method was so far the best, because up till now I couldn't get X even running when I loaded agpgart with fglrx. With your method at least X works now AND is using the fglrx (This was really a surprise).

The annoying thing is that OpGL still renders via Mesa on my box and I don't know why.

When I look into /usr/lib I can see that the libs are the normal Mesa libs, so I wonder where you got the OpenGL libs from. Either something wnet wrong with my installation or you had to do something else which you forgot to mention.

What is the output when you do this?

ls -l /usr/lib/libGL*
and
ls -l /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL*

Could you post this please?

Maybe I can see then whats different with your installation then with mine.

I think that if you are using mesa instead of OpenGL you need to make sure that everything is uninstalled before going through my post. I said that this works best with a fresh installation. Obviously it is not needed, but I found that it works best. I hope you get to it, I can help you tomorrow if needed.

I did a complete fresh install of Suse 8.2 Pro to see if this makes any difference. I don't know why your lib is different from mine, because I followed your steps exactly.

With your instructions I got at least X to use the agpgart/fglrx modules. In my installation I never got it running, but I think this is not the problem of the driver itself, but of the OpenGL subsystem. Something is crewed up there.

I really wonder where you got that lib from because I just looked into the two modules I downloaded from your link and it is not in there. As a maater of fact there absolutely no OpenGL lib in there. I'm not surprised about this because this is the closed part.

I could send you the library, but it looks like mine is older than yours?! Yours says Dec. 7 and mine Sept. 27, so there must be some discrepency. What do you get when you run

lsmod

?

It sounds like you have everything that you need, it is just not running the agpgart module before the fglrx module. You can try the following to test this:

rmmod fglrx
insmod agpgart
insmod fglrx

Of course will get a warning that the kernel will be tainted by the fglrx module, ignore, it is supposed to be there.
Try adding
Load "GLcore" to your XF86Config file under "Modules" I know it's stupid, but maybe....

The problem is that I can load both modules and I also can see that X is using the driver because the usage mode of fglrx goes up (and agpart as well).

The problem is that, when I have to OpenGL lib installed from ATI I get an error when KDE starts up. It uses some OpenGL functionality to speed up the desktop as well. When I remove the OpenGL and switch it to Mesa then everything works.

Another issue is(I dected this only now) that wine also crashes X when I'm using the agpgart/fglrx modules, but that is another issue.

I just tried your libs, but that did't work either.

I don't know else what to do to get KDE running with 3D acceleration enabled. It's really frustrating. Paying about 500USD for that card and you can't use it.

1. The instructions are complete and updated with all needed corrections?

2. When finished the 3D Acceleration will show Enabled?

3. I installed the kernel source(208mb?) through Yast from the CD, but how do I know what/if headers are installed? And is the source from the CD sufficient, as I have the k_athlon-2.4.21-144 patch from the update during install ? (just ran yast online update, and it wants to update my source package! cool!)

4. For the sections on editing.. what editor should a newbie use? (simple)

2. No, YaST or Sax will not show 3d enabled. You can only infer this information by running the command fglrxinfo, or glxgears or some other test will suffice. See my post above to see what the ouput of each should entail.

3. Headers have been included with kernel-source packages for some time now. (I only recently learned this) So you have the headers already.

4. In this situation, preferably something non-graphical as I instruct you to be in runlevel 3. Some good editors are vi (not for newbies) and pico (easy to use). pico lists all commands needed at the bottom of the terminal. In order to invoke these commands in pico you must use control + (command). For example pico displays ^O (write out) at the bottom of the terminal, one would hit ctrl+O to save the current changes. To modify the boot.local file, you will be in a graphical mode so you can use any of these: gedit, kate, kedit as they all resemble "notepad" from windows and are easy to use.

5. I say go back into X because you are (should be) in runlevel 3 which is a non-graphical mode. X refers to X windows. When you get to the indicated step you can type startx to start the X windows system.

I'm not completely sure about this, but sirra has an nforce board (which btw only works with the external agpgart according to the www.gmpf.de howto). If you have some other Chipset you might be out of luck (like me).

Have a VIA KT 400A and no matter what I try I can't get this ATI 9800 pro to work. I wont give up though as I WANT TO TAME THE BEAST